Coin-controlled setting mechanism for energy dispensing devices



Nov. 25, 1941. P. oos 2,263,738

v COIN- CONTROLLED SETTING MECHANISM FOR ENERGY DISPENSING DEVICES Filed Oct. 15, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 '4] was M INVENTOR 86 4 o L 76B 8y 84 q/ 35 L4 Y 52 ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 25, 1941. v v P. Moos 2,263,738

COIN-CONTROLLED SETTING MECHANISM FOR ENERGY DISPENSING DEVICES Filed Oct. 15, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A axe/v5 Y5.

Patented Nov. 25, 1941 COIN-CONTROLLED SETTING MECHANISM FOR ENERGY DISPENSING DEVICES Paul Moos, Zug, Switzerland, assignor to Landis Gyr, A.-G., a corporation of Switzerland Application October 15, 1937, Serial No. 169,115 In Switzerland December 24, 1936 6 Claims.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in coin-controlled setting mechanisms for energy dispensing means, and more especially to such improvements in the type of mechanism wherein the amount of energy made available is dependent on the size or value of an inserted coin.

Objects and advantages ofthe invention will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious h'erefrom, or may be learned by practice with the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

- The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.

The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation with parts broken away illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a modified form;

Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section through Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section through Fig. 1, showing the coin settable and release mechamsm;

Fig. 5 is a detached, sectional detail of the differential gear shown at the left in Fig. 2; and

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary side elevation of the switch mechanism looking from the left of Figure 4.

The present invention, in certain of its aspects, is an improvement on the invention of application Ser. No. 161,742, filed August 31, 1937, of Richard Pudelko and Josef Mettler, now Patent 2,215,191, but in certain of its broader aspects this invention is applicable to and useful in other types of coin-controlled mechanisms for electricity vending mechanisms and the like.

A main object of the present invention is to provide a simple, efficient and very compact. mechanism of the type described capable of receiving and coacting with a relatively large number of sizes of coins, for example, all the coins of a given national coinage system. 'I'h'e invention is addressed, inpart, to improvements in coin-controlled mechanism of the type having a rotary coin drum and wherein series of gear teeth or the like are selectively positioned to actuate and set the quantity-measuring, i. e., energy measuring and dispensing means, said positioning being recognized according to the diameters, and sequentially set according to the values of the inserted coins, an inserted coin acting to move and position a slide carried by the drum, which slide possesses means for effecting the required positioning of the quantity setting means, and is further directed to provide a mechanismv of this type capacitated to receive an unusually wide range of coin sizes while keeping the mechanism.relatively small and compact, that is, within limits which will not require unnecessary and unwarranted increase in the size of the remainder of the mechanism, and in fact will avoid any increase in the size of the total mechanism.

It will be understood that the foregoing general descriptionand thefollowing detailed description as well are exemplary and explanatory of the invention but are not restrictive thereof.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, the invention is shown applied to a prepayment mechanism the same or similar, so far as concerns many of its features, to that shown and described in copending application Ser. No. 161,742, filed August 31, 1937, of Richard Pudelko and Josef Mettler, and in the present drawings there is exhibited sov much only of the structure of said application as will suffice to show the connection of this invention therewith. (The parts of the mechanism common to this and to the aforesaid copending application are indicated by the same reference numerals as are used in said copending application.) The mechanism is enclosedwithin a casing I0, of a usual type, having a coin admitting slot II. Within the casing is a flat, rotatable coin-receiving disc 14, having an annular periphery I3, the disc being fixed on a shaft I5. This shaft is connected to the switch controlling, the coin settable, the release mechanism, and other parts, as described and sh'own in the aforesaid copending application, and these need. not be further described herein. Formed in one front face of the disc [4 is a coin-receiving slot or channel l6, which extends transversely or diametrically of the disc, and isnormally in alinement with the coin-receiving slot. I l of the casing. Slidably mounted in the channel I6 is a slide. ll, having an elongated internal opening l8 through which the shaft l5 passes, to

permit slidable movement of the slide H. The

slide I1 is normally resiliently held to the front end of the slot or channel l6 by a spring I1, connested in tension between a pin on slide l1 and a pin on the exterior of disc l4, and in that position the front end of the slide closes the entrance of the channel Hi. When a coin is inserted in the opening H and pushed into the channel 16, the slide I1 is moved backwardly against its spring a distance corresponding to the diameter, and thus to the value, of the inserted coin. A suitable closure plate fits on the fiat face of the disc [4 over the coin channel or slot l6 and the slide [1.

The illustrated embodiment of the means which is variably positionable by the movement and position of the slide I! for the purpose of setting the quantity means, that is, the energy dispensing means, to dispense a predetermined quantity of energy corresponding to the Value of an inserted coin, is substantially the same as that shown in said copending application Ser. No. 161,742 and. the greater part of it need not be shown or described herein. On the opposite fiat face of the disc I4 is formed a diametrically disposed guideway 24, extending perpendicularly to theguideway on the opposite side of the disc l4. Within the guideway 24 is reciprocably mounted a fiat plate 25, having therein an elongated slot 26 which straddles the shaft I5 to permit longitudinal movement of the plate in its guideway. The plate 25 is resiliently impelled upwardly by a spring 33, fixed to the periphery 13 of the disc [4, and engaging within a hook projecting from the upper end of the plate 25., Projecting inwardly from the bottom part of slide 25 is a finger 39, which projects through a slot 39 in the disc l4, and is in resilient contact with the bottom edge of the slide 1. To this point the reference numerals used have been applied to the sameparts as in said copending application 'Ser. No. 161,742.

Cooperating with the finger 39 for the purpose of permitting predetermined movement and positioning of the plate 25 are a plurality of slots formed in the bottom edge of the slide I1, these slots corresponding to the slots in said copending application having thereference numerals therein 35, 36 and 31, but in the present invention a larger number of such slots are provided to the expressed end that the mechanism may be capacitated to receive coins of a larger number of sizes without enlarging the size of the mechanism. The present embodiment is designed to receive all of the coins of the English monetary system, and accordingly in the present embodiment there are five slots numbered, respectively, 40, 4|, 42, 43 and 44, the slot 40 corresponding to the half-crown piece being the deepest, the slot 4| corresponding to the penny piece being the most shallow, the slot 42 corresponding to the two shilling piece, the slot 43 corresponding to the shilling piece, and the slot 44 corresponding to the six penny piece, being of proportionate depth. Thus the slide 25 is advanced by its spring 33 a distance corresponding to the value of an inserted coin, the corresponding slot in the slide I! being thereby brought into alinement by the diameter of that coin.

The means for actuating or setting the quantity means carried by the variably positionable plate 25 comprises five sets of teeth 41, 48, 49, and 5!. These five groups of teeth correspond to the fivecoin values which the machine is adapted to receive, and in that regard correspond with the slots in the slidable bar H. These'sets ion 65.

of teeth are arranged to engage variably and selectively with a plurality of pinions, later to be described in connection with novel features of the present invention, the additive movement of the pinion being communicated to a shaft 2, which is the same as shaft 2 in said copending application Ser. No. 161,742. Fixed on the shaft 2 is a broad faced pinion 55, and fixed on an idle shaft 56, journaled in the casing, is a broadfaced pinion 51, the two shafts being connected by intermeshing gears 58, so that the pinions rotate in the same direction. The pinions are positioned so that the inner end of the pinion 55 is positioned farther inwardly regularly than the pinion 51, so that in certain positions of the gear teeth groups there will be rotation of pinion 55 but not of pinion 5! (that is, disregarding idle rotation of pinion 5'!) but the broad faced pinions are likewise located so that one or more groups of the positioned gear teeth may sequenti'ally rotate both the pinions, the amount of these rotations being communicated additively to the shaft 2.

For the purpose of normally holding the plate 25 against the pull of the spring 33 and permitting movement of the plate to cooperate with the selected slot 4044 in the slide l1, after the slide has been positioned by an inserted coin, the controlling finger 39 is fixed to the bottom end of plate 25 and extends outwardly therefrom, the outer end of the finger bearing on the periphery of a fixed cam 89*, which is mounted on the partition plate 59 of the casing iii. A manually-operated knob 6| on the exterior of the casing is fixed on a shaft 62, which shaft extends into the casing and may be provided with the usual frictional damper or control. Fixed on shaft 62 is a collar 63, and integral with and extending from the collar 63 is an angled finger 64, which extends into a slot formed in a beveled pinion 65, mounted loosely on the shaft 62. The pinion 65 is under rotative impulsion from a spring 66, coiled about shaft 62, and connected to the hub '63 and to the pin- The pinion 65 extends through a slot formed in the stationary cam 60 and in the partition 59, and the pinion meshes with a beveled pinion 67, fixed on the shaft l5 of the disc I4, this end of the shaft l5 being journaled in the partition plate 59. Suitable stop means are provided between disc l4 and casing ID for stopping disc l4 in coin-receiving position and for releasing it on deposit of a coin. Said means comprises a stop 99 mounted on casing I0 and a Y pin89 mounted in slide I1 and positioned to engage stop 96, and is the same as the corresponding means shown in Fig. 1 of application, Serial No. 161,742 of.Pudelko and Mettler. When the slotted slide I 'i is moved inwardly by the insertion of acoin in the slot i l, the movement being proportional to the diameter of the coin, the corresponding slot 40, 4|, 42, 43 or 44, is brought into alignment with the pin 33 which is fixed to plate 25. This movement of slide I 7 has carried pin 89 inwardly clear of stop 90, and disc 14 is now free to be rotated by the handle 5| for a single rotation of the disc. The finger 39*, which is rotated with the disc I4, enters one of the slots 40 to 44, and allows the slide 25 to move under the impulsion of the spring '33 so far as pin 39 is permitted by the positioned slot of slide 11, and this brings the corresponding number of teeth 41, 48, 49, 50 or 51 into position to rotate the pinions 55 and 51 sufficiently to setthe energy dispensing means correspondingly to the value of the coin. Afteractuation of the pinions, by, the continued rotation of disc l4, finger 38 rides farther along cam 6|) and'thereby plate 25 is again retracted to the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The foregoing described mechanism is substantially the sameas the corresponding mechanism shown and described in said copending application, Serial No. 161,742.

. Referring now to the embodied form of connections between shaft l and the switch controlling and release mechanisms (see specially Fig. 4), concentric with shaft 2 is a separate shaft 1|, and fixed to this shaft is a perpendiculararm on which'ismounted a planet gear 12, which meshes with sun wheel 13, which is fixed on shaft 2 and is integral with the gear wheel 58. Loosely-mounted on shaft 1| is the other sun wheel 14 and integral with this sun wheel is aworm gear 15, which meshes with a worm 16 on the shaft of a meter disc 11, or like rotating member of the energy metering means. Fixed on shaft 1|.is a disc 8| and a tripping pin 82 is fixed in and projects from the disc. Fixed on the end of shaft 62 (which shaft is rotatable from the hand knob 6|, as described) is a transspring contact member of the switch is free from the detent lever 81. When a coin is pushed into the coin slot slide I1 is pushed inwardly a distance equal to the diameter of the inserted coin, and the stop pin 89, which is mounted on slide |'1, slides past and is freed from the stop.

90, which is fixed on the casing I0, and thereby disc I4 is free to .be turned one revolution by the knob 6|. The pinion 55 is thereby rotated an amount dependent on the number of teeth 41-5| brought into operative relation therewith through the positioning of the slide 25 by the registered coin slot in slide |1. Pinion 55 rotates sun wheel 13, and thereby planet wheel 12 rolls on stationary sun wheel 14 and thus rotates disc BI, and tripping pin 82 moves away from detent lever 81, a distance proportional to the diameter (and value) of the inserted coin. Bar 83 rotates with shaft 62 as the shaft is turned from knob 6|, and detent 81 will catch and hold the spring member of switch 86 in closed position after it has been moved to that position by one of the pins 84 and 85 through rotation of the knob 6|. The power switch 86 is then in closed position, and the meter disc 11, or corresponding energy metering device, is set in motion. Thereby worm 16 rotates sun wheel 14, causing planet wheel 12 to roll on sun wheel 13, thereby rotating disc 8| in the opposite direction from which it was turned by the rotation of the pinion 55 by the selected teeth 41-'5| on slide 25. When the disc 8| has been rotated in the opposite direction a distance equal to its setting by the previously inserted coin, that is, after the dispensing of a quantity of energy equal to the value of the inserted coin, pin 82 will trip detent 81, and spring switch 86 will open shutting off the power.

In operation of this embodied form, if a penny piece be inserted, the slide I1 is moved inwardly so that the slot 4| registers with the finger 39 and there is a corresponding slight upward movementof the'slide 25. The disc |4is released and rotated as described in said copending application Ser. No.l6l,'142, and the coin is emitted into the internal repository at the proper time. This slight movement of the slide 25 brings the single gear tooth 41 to radial position so that it will rotate the pinion 55 one tooth, but will pass inside of the pinion 51 without rotating. Near the completion of the rotation plate 25 and slide l1 are restored to their original position by the means and in the manner described in said copending application. If a six-penny piece be'inserted, the slot 44 will register with finger 39, and the corresponding movement and positioning of plate 25 will cause the pins 41 and 48 to engage pinion 55 and turn it through five teeth and the pin 41 is positioned sufliciently far out radially to engage thepinion 51 and turn it one tooth, and shaft 2 is rotated the equivalent of six teeth on the pinions. In like manner if a shilling piece be inserted, pins 41, 48 and 49 will engage pinion 55 and turn it seven teeth, and pins 41 and 48 will engage pinion 51 and turn it five teeth, making a total advance of twelve teeth on the two pinions and a corresponding rotation of the shaft 2 and a like setting of the quantity means.

If a two shilling piece is inserted, the slot 42 registers with the pin 38, and pins 41, 48, 49 and 50 are positioned to engage and turn the pinion 55 twelve teeth and this entire group of pins also rotate pinion '51 twelve teeth, making a total advance of twenty-four teeth which effects through the rotation of the shaftanequivalent setting of the quantity determining or energy dispensing means. If a half crown piece is inserted, the slide 25 is positioned so that all the teeth engage both pinions making a total advance of thirty teeth and a correspondingsetting through shaft 2 of the quantity mechanism.

In Figs. 2 and '5 is shown one exemplary modified form wherein fewer pins or gear teeth are employed in the groups41,48, 49, 55 and 5|, and differential gearing is employed between the pinions and the shaft 2 to compensate for the less amount of rotation imparted to the pinions. In this modification, there is one pin 41, two pins in the group 48, three in the group 49, one pin 58, and two pins in the group 5|. The shaft of the pinion 55 is connected to a sun wheel 60 of a planetary gear, fixed on shaft 2. Shaft 2 abuts on shaft 2, and planetary gear 62 is mounted freely on a perpendicular arm fixed on shaft 2 and sun wheel 6| is mounted loosely on shaft 2 and meshes with planet gear 62, and the shaft of the pinion 51 is connected by a 1 to 3 step-up gearing to a gear wheel 58 integral with the other sun wheel 6| of said gearing. The planet wheel 62 of the gearing is connected to rotate the shaft 2 which connects to the quantity or settable energy dispensing mechanism. In the operation of this mechanism, the pinion 55 is rotated by the set or selected pins 41-5| in the direction of arrow A (Fig. 5). It may be assumed, for simplicity, that at this time the pinion 51 is stationary and sun wheel 6| will also be stationary, and planet wheel 62 will roll on sun wheel 6| in the direction of the arrow B and the shaft 2 will be rotated in the direction of the arrow C. Assuming, for clearness, that the pinion '55 stops and the pinion 51 is rotated,' the sun wheel 60 will be stationary and sun wheel 6| will be rotated from pinion 51 in the direction of the arrow D. This causes theplanet wheel '62 to roll on the sun wheel 60 in the direction of the arrow E and the shaft 2 is again rotated in the direction of the arrow 0. It will be seen, therefore, that the action of the pins 4'l-5| on the two pinions 55 and 51 is additive in setting the dispensing means at the time of closing the switch. In practice, of course, both pinions 55 and 51 may be rotated simultaneously by various pins, and the action will be the same. With this particular-arrangement, the pin 41 turns the pinion 55 as before. An inserted sixpenny piece causes the teeth 41 and 48 to rotate pinion 55 through three teeth and pin 41 rotates pinion 5'! one tooth, but the multiplying gear ratio of 1 to 3 imparts to the shaft 2 an angular advance equivalent to six teeth. If a shilling piece be inserted, pins 41 and 48 rotate pinion 55 three teeth and pinion 51 the same amount, but due to the gear step-up the total advance of shaft 2 is equivalent to twelve teeth or twelve times the advance eifected with a penny piece. If a two shilling piece be inserted, teeth 41, B8 and 49 advance both pinions six teeth, but with the gear step-up for the pinion 51, this effects an advance of shaft 2 equivalent to twenty-four teeth. If a half crown piece be inserted, all of the teeth engage pinion 55 and advance it nine teeth, and pins 41, 48, 49 and 50 engage pinion 51 and advance it seven teeth, which with the 1 to 3 step-up effects an advance equivalent to thirty teeth on the shaft 2.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the accompanying claims without departing from the principles of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages.

What I claim is:

1. A coin-controlled setting mechanism for an energy dispensing device settable to dispense measured quantities of energy, including in combination means for receiving coins of various sizes, and rotatable means radially positionable correspondingly to the size of an inserted coin, said means including a plurality of radially spaced sets of pinion-actuating teeth, and a plurality of intermeshing pinions connected to the quantity setting means, said positionable means in its various radial positions presenting one or more of its radially spaced sets of teeth in position to mesh with one or more of said pinions, dependent on the size of a deposited coin and means for causing the selected teeth to rotate said pinions.

2. A coin-controlled setting mechanism for an energy dispensing device settable to dispense measured quantities of energy, including in combination an enclosing casing having a coin-receiving opening, a rotatable drum within the casing, coin-receiving means on the drum, a member on the drum positionable by an inserted coin, a plurality of sets of radially movable teeth mounted on said drum, means whereby said member radially positions said teeth correspondingly to the size of an inserted coin, and a plu- 3. A coin-controlled setting mechanism for an energy dispensing device settable to dispense measured quantities of energy, including in combination an enclosing casing having a coin-receiving opening, a rotatable drum within the casing, a slide mounted on a fiat side of said drum and positionable by an inserted coin, a radially movable member mounted on said drum, a plurality of series of teeth mounted on said member. and a plurality of intermeshing gears connected to the quantity mechanism, means cooperating with said slide for positioning said radially movable -member whereby one or more series of teeth engages with one or more pinions on rotation of the drum dependent on the size of the deposited coin.

4. A coin-controlled setting mechanism for an energy dispensing device settable to dispense measured quantities of energy, including in combination means for receiving coins of various sizes, and rotatable means radially positionable correspondingly to the size of an inserted coin, said means including a member movable by an inserted coin, a member variably positionable by said movable member and having a plurality of spaced sets of teeth selectively brought to pinion actuating position, differential gearing, and a plurality of pinions separately connected to the quantity setting means through the differential gearing for independent or additive advance of the quantity setting means, said positionable means in its various positions presenting one or more of its sets of teeth to mesh with one or more of said pinions, dependent on the size of a deposited coin.

5. A coin-controlled setting mechanism for an energy dispensing device settable to dispense measured quantities of energy, including in combination an enclosing casing having a coin-receiving opening, a rotatable drum, a coin-receiving slot in a flat face of said drum disposed transversely to its axis, a slide in said slot movable by an inserted coin proportionally to the size of an inserted coin, said slide having slots of different depth corresponding to the different coins, a guideway in the opposite flat face of said drum, a spring-impelled slide in said guideway, a member on said last-mentioned slide adapted to enter said slots to variously position said slide, a plurality of sets of teeth located at various radial distances on said slide, a plurality of pinions located at diiferent radial distances from the drum axis, whereby the teeth as positioned by an inserted coin may engage with one or more of said pinions.

6. A coin-controlled setting mechanism for an energy dispensing device settable to dispense measured quantities of energy, including in combination an enclosing casing having a coin-receiving opening, a rotatable drum, a coin-receiving slot in a fiat face of said drum disposed transversely to its axis, a slide in said slot movable by an inserted coin proportionally to the size of an inserted coin, said slide having slots of different depths corresponding to different coins, said slide closing the entrance to said slot at the periphery of the drum when in register with the coin-receiving slot, a guideway in the opposite flat face of said drum, a spring-impelled slide in said guideway, a member on said lastmentioned slide adapted to enter said slots to variously position said slide, a plurality of sets of teeth located at various radial distances on said slide, and a plurality of intergeared pinions with one or more of which various sets of said teeth may engage on rotation of said drum, depending on the position of said slide.

PAUL MOOS. 

